About Me

Hello. My name is Arnav Sibal. According to my parents, I live in my own world. In this one, however, I am 19. Owl in a Coffee Cup is a collection of my takes on the intricacies of life.

I am driven to explore, to fail and ultimately learn, something that keeps my family and teachers in a constant state of worry. I believe that it will be a long time before I find myself and that is why I cannot pass up any opportunity of adventure. Driven by the idiosyncrasies of life, I would define myself as an explorer at heart, a foodie by habit, a musician by structure and a poet by design.

I am an aspiring writer. Reading makes me push my limits. It opens up new worlds to traverse, new ideas to mull over, and keeps reinforcing my motivation to pen like the greats, and maybe one day, hopefully, as one of them.

Writing is how I best express myself and I’m currently studying it in college. I rather enjoy a good pesto pasta and crème brûlée. And, for better or worse, I am a perfectionist.

“He’s also weird,” my friends nod in unhesitating agreement.

A Brief History:

The Poet in Pyjamas Years (2012 – 2015)

From 2012 to July 2015, I wrote under the pseudonym The Poet in Pyjamas. This blog was initially titled White T-Shirts and Mismatched Socks: The Notebook of The Poet in Pyjamas.

While I still go by the pseudonym sometimes, I decided to revert to writing under my own name.

Wildflower Sea and Social Impact (Debut Anthology – 2014)

In December, my debut anthology, Wildflower Sea was launched. Picus Books, a subsidiary of Hay House India, is the publisher.

Wildflower Sea is a compilation of poems, short stories, and what I call ‘tapestries’ (vignettes). The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, as well as Kobo Books.

The book raised ₹ 50,100. All the proceeds went to Akshara, a local social-impact initiative of UWC Mahindra College, started in 2005 with the generous donations from the college’s alumni, faculty and friends. The organization’s mission is to empower rural youth, and children (with an emphasis on the girl child) by providing them access to educational opportunities and personal support. In the near-decade of its existence, Akshara has provided rural youth in the communities surrounding the college with after-school educational support to help them achieve independence and find employment in vocational and professional fields. Today, Akshara serves more than 500 people in seven villages, including elementary students, pre-university/college-level students, and Adivasi and tribal adults. In addition to education support, Akshara has also branched out into the fields of social entrepreneurship, counselling and community engagement. Read more about Akshara here: http://akshara.uwcmahindracollege.org/

Owl in a Coffee Cup and the Future (2015 – )

The reshaping of my blog took a few months. Owl in a Coffee Cup took form on 27 July 2015, a day after the blog’s 3rd Birthday.

I do not know what is in store for my writing, and me, but I am excited. There is so much out there in the world to learn. And I cannot wait to harness it.

I’m working on taking a crack at a debut novel, and script writing. Meanwhile, I have my online story series, Satellite Kingdom (Which is delayed), keeping me busy.